Bilge pump siphoning.

[Chihili Q]

I seem to have solved my problem of taking on large amounts of seawater on port tack in a brisk breeze when arguably carrying too much sail.

It seems not to have been predominantly due to cockpit drains refluxing, or inadequate cockpit sole seals, or blocked drain pipes from the cockpit seats adjacent to the lockers all of which applied to some extent.

The main cause was siphoning back up my bilge pump outflow pipe, solved by installing a Whale one way valve which I thought preferable to elevating the loop, or other solutions suggested to me.

I now take on very little water despite cautiously being in quite rough stuff. No life boats this year anyway.

Adrian.

[Voltair]

I’ve been thinking of doing the same on Voltair. I’ve even got the valve. In your case, is your pump a manual Henderson/Whale pump or is it some kind of electric device? Did you put the new valve between the hull-fitting and the pump in a horizontal pipe run, or between the pump and the bilge in a vertical run? Do you think the design you installed is OK in either horizontal or vertical pipe? If you have a manual pump, did you have a look inside the bilge pump and see the condition of the the one-way valves built into the pump? I figured the valves in there ought to do the job for you….. so didn’t install anything yet. But we haven’t had any big port tack sessions since we had the major problem in the Skagerrak in 2007….

[Chihili Q]

I have put valves between my hull fitting and pumps; I say pumps since the outflow pipe into the hull fitting has two pumps discharging into it through a 2-into-1 “Y” shaped connector. There is a manual Whale pump installed in the starboard cockpit locker (on the aft bulkhead) and a large electric Rule pump in the bottom of the bilge which is so big it is rather tricky to get out so I haven’t done so yet. I have installed two one way valves, one per pump outflow but from what you say I perhaps didn’t need to for the Whale. I have another manual pump in the starboard locker just aft of the after cabin companionway, which has a different pipe system and through hull fitting. With some excitment I have observed my bilge filling only very gradually, accounted for by normal Nic 38 leaks I think!

Adrian.

[Author]

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